Search Site: OnlineNigeria

Popular Menu

Aviation expert queries disbursement of N19.5bn intervention fund

An aviation consultant and former airport manager, Mr Sam Akerele has frowned at the infrastructural decay, staring the aviation sector in the face despite the N19.5 billion intervention reportedly approved for improving the sector.

An aviation consultant and former airport manager, Mr Sam Akerele has frowned at the infrastructural decay, staring the aviation sector in the face despite the N19.5 billion intervention reportedly approved for improving the sector.

In a recent chat with Daily Sun, Akerele said it was bad that nobody seems to be asking questions over the disbursement of the huge funds, stressing that accountability is very important in the aviation business.
He said it is necessary for the government to ensure that funds funnelled into the aviation sector is strictly monitored in order to get their desired results.

"To assess the level of the development in the nation's aviation sector, we need to ask questions. We need to know how funds are spent, in order to know whether those crying for funds are supposed to do so. For instance, the N19.5 billion intervention fund from the government is yet to be accounted for as far as I'm concerned. Up till now, we don't have a Doppler weather radar facility in the country.

It doesn't cost much for the nation to acquire it and get done with this weather brouhaha", he said.
He said it was regrettable that the nation was spending so much and realizing little.
The expert called for both infrastructural and manpower overhaul as the sector is such a sensitive one that abhors mediocrity, favouritism and the likes.

He regretted that facilities in various airports were functioning poorly, stressing that the trend ought to change for the better. The N19.5 billion was set aside by the government to address various ills plaguing the aviation sector that culminated in three air crashes that occured in quick succession.

After the crashes, a panel to investigate and unearth the rot was set up and it was chaired by Air Marshal Paul Dike whose report advocated for an intervention funds to rescue the sector from imminent collapse.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) were top beneficiaries of the funds.